Chapter 77
Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Seong Family Manor - 1
Even the Heavenly Assassin Star has weaknesses.
Not the kind of weaknesses like dying if her neck is cut or her heart is pierced, despite her formidable martial prowess, but areas where her martial skills are lacking.
Surprisingly, her weaknesses are said to be stealth and infiltration techniques.
"My skills... are just a bit below that of a first-rate assassin."
She revealed her weakness before we left Chilgok County.
Then why did she get caught at the Gabsu Merchant Group? When I shot her a questioning look, So-hee turned her head away to avoid my gaze and then corrected herself.
"...... It's second-rate assassin level."
'The top assassin in a martial arts dating sim?'
Wearing ninja clothes but weak in stealth and infiltration? I looked at So-hee with a bewildered expression.
"But my martial arts are at special-grade assassin level!"
Seeing my incredulous face, So-hee protested weakly.
Perhaps being an assassin doesn't mean killing the target and slipping away unnoticed, but rather being able to kill all witnesses too, which is why she's an assassin.
So-hee said she never felt her stealth and infiltration skills were particularly lacking. With that level of skill, she could always assassinate and escape without being detected.
'The problem is, it's the first time she was ever discovered, and it happened at the Gabsu Merchant Group.'
Something that happens once may not happen again, but something that happens twice will definitely happen again. If she's careful, she might not get caught again.
Even if it does happen, she has the skill to fight her way out. The problem is me. If she gets caught, my life, traveling with her, could be in danger.
I recalled the conversation I had with So-hee back in Chilgok County.
"To easily infiltrate the manor head's room, it's better to stay in the inner courtyard."
"In the inner courtyard? They wouldn't let a guest, let alone a barbarian storyteller like me, stay in the inner courtyard."
"It wouldn't matter even if we're put in the outer courtyard. ...... I'll slip in using my stealth skills."
"There's no need to take such a risk. I'll find a way for you to stay in the inner courtyard."
"How?"
"I have a plan. Just trust me."
Generally, the inner courtyard of a manor is reserved for family members, martial artists treated as elders, core personnel like overseers, and so on.
Being invited to stay there as a guest means receiving VVIP-level treatment.
It was understandable that So-hee was half ready to give up.
Personally, I wanted to say to Seong Se-hwi, "I came to thoroughly expose your uncle. You're the client, right? Help me out here." But I heard assassination brokers don't reveal the client's identity to the assassin.
Even if I asked a man for help, he probably wouldn't give it.
Even if the client is the lady of the house, openly helping could leave evidence and risk exposing the commission.
We can't get insider help to infiltrate the inner courtyard.
Moreover, they wouldn't have any reason to entertain a performer, especially a barbarian one, in the inner courtyard.
Generally speaking, that is.
'I'll have to slowly cook the young master until he invites me as an honored guest.'
If it's not general, then it just means I need to be a non-general guest, right?
------
"Here we are."
The Seong Family Manor I entered following the servant.
The servant sent by Seong Se-hwi guided me through the outer courtyard to a room in the inner courtyard.
"It really is that Joseon storyteller!"
Seong Se-hwi greeted me with a surprised expression, as if he hadn't expected my visit at all.
"It's been a few days."
I greeted Seong Se-hwi with a smiling face.
Seong Se-hwi, looking flustered, guided me to a comfortable seat.
"How did you get here? Didn't you clearly refuse the invitation?"
As soon as he sat down, forgetting to manage his expression, he asked me.
'Since when was that an invitation? It was a scam.'
Seong Se-hwi invited me to provoke his uncle. An invitation that, had I performed without knowing the truth, could have landed me in big trouble.
He probably never dreamed I'd come back of my own accord.
'To be invited into the manor and have my safety guaranteed, I need to be treated as an honored guest.'
Saying I came back for money would be a lowly move.
I'd just be told to perform in the outer courtyard, get paid, and get lost.
I need to be a man who came to find Seong Se-hwi with great purpose, not for something like money.
"...... After we parted, I reminisced about the past."
After taking a sip of the tea set before me, I began in a solemn tone.
First, let's build some rapport.
"What did you reminisce about?"
"About the times living in the Central Plains as a barbarian, suffering countless persecutions. Even when a weakling like me was being mercilessly beaten by bullies, not a single soul extended a helping hand."
I wore an expression as if recalling unfair and sad events, looking at the small scars visible on my forearms where the sleeves were pulled back.
"It's a world where people don't easily lend a hand to the weak. Even if that person was, until recently, the eldest legitimate son of a family."
Seong Se-hwi, seeming to relate, shared his own experience.
Good, rapport established.
"I thought I wouldn't be like that if our positions were reversed. But once I got a taste of living well myself, my heart grew deceitful too. For my own safety, I refused your help."
"...... Prioritizing one's own safety is nothing to be blamed for. Rather, the one who extends a hand in that situation is worthy of respect."
Seong Se-hwi seemed to guess why I had come here, looking at me with a somewhat touched expression.
But I can't end it here.
If my reason for coming to the Seong Manor ends here, it's just touching. I'll be welcomed as a guest. You'd end it at this level too, right?
I need a twist.
"Yes. And on top of that, you didn't tell me the truth."
I shot a reproachful look at the man.
After establishing appropriate rapport and reasons, it's time to pinpoint the weakness.
You're not an upright guy. You're not just a weakling either.
You're just a scammer bastard.
"Even if I had ten mouths, I'd have nothing to say."
As if aware he'd done something shameful, the man subtly avoided my reproachful gaze.
"If I hadn't known your ulterior motive, I would have gladly accepted your invitation, considered it an honor to perform at the Seong Manor, and stepped onto the stage. Not even knowing if it was my slaughterhouse."
"......"
As if having nothing to say even with ten mouths, the man kept his mouth tightly shut.
Got nothing to say, huh?
"To escape an unjust situation, you tried to drag someone else into trouble. How are you any different from those who unjustly seized the Seong Manor?"
Even if he admits it was wrong, picking at him like this will provoke defiance.
When people are pointed out for a mistake, they tend to feel ashamed at first, but if you keep pointing it out, they get angry.
Especially since the other party is the young master of a wealthy family.
"So you came not to help, but to reprimand me?"
Just as I thought.
Seong Se-hwi changed his complexion and spoke to me with an angry air.
"No. I came to help."
I smiled serenely and, with a sip of tea, calmly received the man's anger.
Who's being shameless here.
"Then why......"
"I hope you understand."
"Understand what?"
"That I didn't come to help you because you're the young master of a wealthy family, nor because you're a good person."
"...... Then why did you come to help?"
"I came because the great difficulty you're in is something I can help with."
"Just for that reason?"
"I know the sorrow and loneliness of having no one help you when you're in trouble. I know you're not a good person, but you're not an evil one either. I understand how unfair it must have been. And I now understand the danger I will shoulder."
The man before you knows everything and has come before you.
To help a guy like you.
I sent a resolute gaze to the man suffering in isolated desperation.
"You... truly came with that purpose......"
Did I touch his emotions? Seong Se-hwi's eyes began to tremble.
Not finished yet.
"I want to help. I will make the injustice of your uncle and stepmother known to all. For that, I will stake my life."
I looked at Seong Se-hwi like a chivalrous knight filled with righteous indignation.
A mere barbarian storyteller came staking his life.
And not for money, but for the chivalrous heart he holds within.
A classic tale, but in a martial arts world, it works well.
To a man in desperate isolation, pure goodwill will feel immense.
Pretty touching, huh?
"Thank you. ...... Truly, thank you."
Thump! With tear-filled eyes and a moved expression, Seong Se-hwi knelt on the floor.
Good. A more intense reaction than expected.
"Please rise. We have no time to waste, we must prepare to eradicate injustice."
I reached out my hand to the man, took his, and helped him up.
"How can I ever repay a chivalrous knight like you......"
The man seemed to find me too dazzling, not daring to meet my eyes.
Letting me stay in the inner courtyard is enough.
"Please make thorough preparations. And when you reclaim your family, do not forget me today, and act with chivalry for all people."
"If I become the head of the Seong Family Manor, I will never forget today's events."
The man clasped my hands with both of his, once again expressing his overflowing feelings.
-----
"I will host you as an honored guest in the inner courtyard."
One cannot neglect a chivalrous knight who came with pure intentions to help. Seong Se-hwi decided to receive me as an honored guest of the Seong Manor.
"My wife is waiting at the inn."
"Your wife?"
"The woman by my side the day we first met is my wife."
"Ah! I thought it was peculiar for a woman to be carrying a lute, so she was your wife."
"As a husband, I was too ashamed to introduce her that day, being protected by my wife."
I spoke with my head slightly bowed, like someone ashamed of an un-husbandly act.
"I understand. I'll have a servant bring your wife."
"Thank you."
Seong Se-hwi ordered a servant to bring So-hee.
'So-hee will have to play the wife role well.'
For me, being a master, producer, commander, teacher, and now husband is a career path, so no problem. But So-hee, a rookie, is the issue.
"Once we arrive at the Seong Manor, I'll have you call me your husband."
"...... Husband?"
"Do you dislike it?"
"No. I-it's fine."
"What will you call me, So-hee?"
"Should I call you 'Sanggong'?"
"Sanggong... that's too Central Plains-like."
Perhaps someone came to mind for a moment at the word 'Sanggong'. I requested a different title from So-hee.
"I can't think of any other title."
"How about 'Seobangnim' like a Joseon person?"
"...... Seobangnim?"
"It's good because it's Joseon-like, and if you call me 'Seobangnim' around, even if you make a mistake with the title, you can brush it off as a Joseon person's mistake."
"Seobangnim. Seobangnim. ...... Okay. Seobangnim. That seems fine."
So-hee stared at me intently, repeating the title 'Seobangnim' several times under her breath, then nodded.
"I've brought the guest."
While reminiscing about events in Chilgok County, So-hee arrived.
"Let me introduce her again. This is my wife."
"I thought she was just a lute carrier that day and didn't greet her properly. Madam, you have a splendid husband."
"......"
So-hee's face flushed, and her lips twitched, but no words actually came out.
"So-hee?"
"M-my, my Seobangnim is a splendid person."
So-hee, why are you talking like you have lag?
Her face is flushed and her acting is subtly awkward.
Was it awkward because I asked her to call me husband when I'm not really her husband?
"Haha. My wife is shy and doesn't speak well."
"Hahaha. So it seems. By the way, I see in Joseon they call their husband 'Seobang'."
"Yes. Although I've gotten used to Central Plains speech, titles in Joseon language feel more familiar, so that's how it is."
"I see. Well then! Now that your wife is here, let me show you to your quarters in the inner courtyard."
Seong Se-hwi, without any particular suspicion, personally guided us to our lodgings.
"The garden is quite beautiful."
As expected of a wealthy family, the garden was neatly maintained.
"The gardens further inside are much more beautiful, but it's a pity I can't show you. That bastard Seong Ji-ru and his gang have taken over that area, so I can't provide lodgings there."
"This place is very beautiful too."
I comforted Seong Se-hwi, who was making an indignant expression. The inner courtyard is enough. Being too close would also make assassination suspicions easier.
"You mustn't go that way!"
As we headed to our quarters, a loud, arguing voice came from somewhere.
Is someone fighting?
"Young Lady! You mustn't go that way!"
"It's my own mind."
The voices engaged in a scuffle gradually grew closer.
"Ah! Young! Lady!"
From the opposite side of the garden where we stood, two people appeared along with the voice trying to stop them.
A tomboyish young lady and what seems to be a maid.
I turned my head to look at the two people who appeared on the opposite side of the garden.
Little did I know I might meet someone unexpected.
'What are you doing here.'
The person who appeared before my eyes was someone I knew.